Venezuela is one of only eight countries – including, most recently, Bolivia and Ecuador in 2007 – that have convened the historic democratic process to reform their constitutions. The South American nation hopes the exercise will clear the path for a lasting social peace and an end to the foreign-backed chaos that has paralyzed many of the country’s institutions.

Bolivian President Evo Morales expressed his continued support for Venezuela in a pair of tweets early Sunday morning, noting that aggression against Venezuela’s democracy constitutes an aggression on the whole of Latin America adding, “The Constituent Assembly will triumph.” The Bolivian socialist leader also noted, “those who organize and finance violence that attacks Venezuela and burns anti-imperialist Chavistas alive must be tried in the ICC (International Criminal Court).”

Throughout the country, voters have expressed their surprise with the efficiency of the voting.

According to the most recent report from the National Electoral Council of Venezuela, nearly 100 of the polling stations across the country are up and running as hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans line up to cast their ballots for the National Constituent Assembly.

Polling stations opened at 6 a.m. local time, following a bugle wake-up call and fireworks.

Almost 20 million Venezuelans are registered to vote for 545 members of the National Constituent Assembly.

The head of the CNE, Tibisay Lucena, said Friday that the fingerprint-based voting process is automated and guaranteed that the rule of “one elector, one vote” will be in place. The rule prohibits voters from voting more than once.

Lucena said the election process for the National Constituent Assembly is audited by local and international entities, and that her organization will ensure and protect the Venezuelan people’s right to vote, despite recent threats by the opposition to stage violent protests and prevent the election.

The meeting will reaffirm Latin America’s support for the Bolivarian Revolution and the democratically elected government of Venezuela, and will also discuss the illegal attacks led by the right wing in Venezuela with imperialist support, Fernando Gonzalez, president of the Cuban Institute of Solidarity with the Peoples, said in a statement.

Gonzalez said the event will strengthen regional dialogue and raise the level of consensus on issues of common interest.

“According to e-mails, between 2006 and 2009, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) poured at least four million dollars into separatist movements” in four of the nine regions of the country, said the left-wing leader.

In 2008, authorities of the Santa Cruz, Beni, Pando and Tarija departments, which make up the Media Luna region, carried out referendums in order to form autonomous governments. The referendum organizers, according to Morales, were connected to separatist efforts.

He then noted on his personal Twitter account that Washington had paid this money to the opponents “who have committed terrorist acts in order to divide us (in 2008).”

At the end of 2008, Morales expelled former U.S. Ambassador to Bolivia Philip S. Goldberg as well as all personnel from the Drug Enforcement Agency, DEA, accusing them of conspiring against his government.

The White House had denied these charges and responded by expelling Bolivian Ambassador to the United States Gustavo Guzman.

The Nica Act seeks to impose economic sanctions on Nicaragua over alleged authoritarianism and corruption by President Daniel Ortega.

The U.S. Ambassador to Nicaragua Laura Dogu said the U.S. government and congress members have “noted which countries support Venezuela,” stating that Nicaragua “does not have many friends in Washington, for the support it gives to Venezuela,” affirming that congress most likely will vote “in favor of approving the Nica Act,” according to Bolsa de Noticias newspaper.

The Nica Act refers to the Nicaraguan Investments Conditionality Act, a bill that initially went out of circulation in the House of Representatives when the 2016 congressional session closed. However, it was reintroduced in the U.S. House and Senate by Republican Senators Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, as well as Democrat Albio Sires in April.

Approved by the Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere of the lower house, the bill is set to be debated by the Committee on Foreign Relations July 27, which if approved will go to the full house for a vote.

The new bill, significantly more stringent than the original, seeks to impose economic sanctions on Nicaragua over alleged authoritarianism and corruption practiced by democratically-elected President Daniel Ortega and restrict the conditions of loans from multilateral organizations.

Caracas, (P L) President Nicolas Maduro has insisted that the first issue of the National Constituent Assembly (ANC) will be to guarantee peace, justice and truth in this South American nation.

During an interview on Saturday night with La Hojilla television program, conducted by the journalist Mario Silva on the state TV channel Venezolana de Television, Maduro reaffirmed that ‘one of the first ANC decisions will be to approve a law to establish a commission for truth, peace and reparation for victims.’

He reiterated that seeking reconciliation in Venezuela is an ANC task; hence, it will work to establish order in the country.’

(P L) Russia on Sunday considered that the European Union (EU)”s support for the new unilateral sanctions debated in the U.S. Congress, with implications for the energy and banking sectors, is unlikely.

In matters related to the real economy, European solidarity with Washington is over, the chairman of the Russian Senate’s Committee for International Affairs, Konstantin Kosachov, said.

Both houses in the U.S. Congress envisage the presentation of a bill approved by consensus to impose punishment on national companies and third countries that invest or participate in the Russian energy sector.

MMSC denounced U.S. President Donald Trump’s move to reverse a diplomatic opening between the two countries. The group’s leader Jesus Escamilla stated that Mexicans reject the U.S. blockade and demand Trump lift it and move to normalize relations with the Caribbean island.